Asked about the bill, Jones said, “It is likely, likely I would not even attempt an override.”

Jones’ comments are an apparent victory for opponents of the bill, who have warned of dire consequences if the bill is signed into law.

“Overriding this veto will be monumental if it happens. Right now, I have to say, I don’t know if we have the numbers for it,” Jones said on the program.

The Missouri General Assembly will convene for its veto override session on Sept. 11.

Jones said that unless Republicans who voted no on the bill tell him definitively they will vote yes, an override vote is unlikely because Jones believes all Democrats are likely to vote no on the measure. Additionally, six Republicans did not vote at all when the bill came up.

Without any Democratic support, Jones would need all 109 Republicans to vote to override to reach the necessary two-thirds majority.

The House vote on the bill was 103-51.

At the forefront of the opposition has been Nixon, who has campaigned against the bill across the state. The governor has warned of cuts to education and other programs.

Tuesday, Nixon defended his veto in Fulton. The governor has frozen $13 million that would be used for planning and designing a new facility at Fulton State Hospital, a mental health facility.

According to the Associated Press, Nixon said the funds could begin flowing if the legislature sustains his veto of the tax-cut bill.

In response to News-Leader questions, the governor’s office released a statement from Nixon.

“Today’s comments by the Speaker that the House is unlikely to override my veto of House Bill 253 indicate that legislators are hearing from their constituents and recognizing that there is no need to raise taxes on prescription drugs, defund our schools or jeopardize our AAA credit ratings with this fiscally irresponsible experiment,” Nixon said in the statement.

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On the radio program, Jones criticized Nixon’s campaign against the bill.

“I find it very strange that this governor has spent most of his summer traveling the state complaining about a bill that was passed that he vetoed,” Jones said. He urged the governor to come forward with his own ideas for growing the economy.

Sponsored by Rep. T.J. Berry, R-Excelsior Springs, the bill at the center of the controversy would lower the top personal income tax rate one half of 1 percent, from 6 percent to 5.5 percent. The cuts would be implemented 1/20th of a percent a year.

In addition, the bill includes a trigger so that the next cut would only happen if the revenue taken in by the state the previous year exceeds the revenue taken in during one of the previous three years by at least $100 million. The bill also would have reduced the corporate income tax rate by 3 percent over 10 years.

Republicans argue the bill is moderate in scope and more limited than what other states, especially Kansas, have passed. Kansas implemented a sweeping income tax cut at the beginning of the year.

In early July, supporters of House Bill 253 launched an extensive lobbying effort to convince lawmakers to support a veto override.

The efforts have been largely funded by St. Louis businessman and philanthropist Rex Sinquefield, who has spent millions of dollars on the override effort this month.

Most prominently, Sinquefield funded Grow Missouri, a political action committee that was created earlier this month to support the override effort. The group has waged an active campaign on social media and has run TV ads.